DID YOU KNOW? Learning more about the Global Impact of Zonta – the Council of Europe, Part 2

Through Zonta's Council of Europe (CoE) Committee, Zonta holds participatory status at the CoE, Europe's leading human rights organization. The committee will provide regular updates to enhance members' understanding of Zonta's role with CoE.
Please pass on this information to your club members either in your next club meeting or newsletter.

Click here to read the basics of the CoE as a human rights organization.

Part 2: Zonta’s Role as NGO at the Council of Europe (CoE)

Zonta International is represented at the CoE since 1983, with participatory status since 2003. What does “participatory status” mean?
It means the active participation in the Conference of INGOs, which is the chief body representing INGOs (international non-governmental organizations) with participatory status. In the Conference the INGOs participate in the decision making-process, in the policies and the work program of the CoE and contribute to debates, resolutions and recommendations, thus taking an active part in the CoE and asserting the political role of civil society. The Conference meets twice a year for several days.
At the Conference Zonta International is represented by the ZI CoE Committee Chair as “Head of Delegation”.
She is invited to speak officially at the sessions and discussions of the Conference. She actively contributes to the work of the Conference and is specifically attentive that gender equality and women‘s rights are being observed in the outcomes of the Conference’s work. Currently she leads the Gender Equality-Committee “NGOs as advocates for gender equality and women’s rights” at the Conference of INGOs.

Next episode: The participatory status – a privilege for INGOs at the Council of Europe

18 NOVEMBER 2024